Graphic Online – An office complex constructed at a cost of GH¢600,000 has been inaugurated by the Ghana Baptist Convention in Accra. The three-storey facility, which began under the administration of the former President of the convention, Rev Dr Fred Deegbe, will serve as the headquarters of the church, which has about 1,800 branches nationwide.
Dubbed the Baptist House, the 23-office facility consists of a 1,000-seater auditorium, conference halls, boardrooms and offices for the president and his vice. There are also offices for the various departments under the convention, pantries and office space for business activities.
The construction of the facility began in 2001 after the late President John Evans Atta Mills had cut the sod for the project in 2000. However, the project suffered setbacks due to financial difficulties, until the church secured a loan from Ghana Commercial Bank and Unibank to continue.
The first Executive President of the convention, Rev Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, inaugurated the facility. At a press briefing after the inauguration, Rev Adu-Gyamfi said since the church was established, it had contributed significantly to the development of the country.
According to him, the church had made tremendous progress in the areas of education, health care, livelihood empowerment, advocacy, community service, among others, especially in deprived communities in the country. Recently, he said, the church partnered the American Baptist to distribute mosquito nets in their mission fields at Hohoe and Yendi.
He said the two sister churches had cut the sod for the construction of a modern hospital to serve residents of Yendi and its surrounding communities. Rev Adu Gyamfi said his vision was to re-brand the convention in the areas of education, finance, general welfare of members, among others.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Rev Dr Deegbe said the church saw the need to establish an office in Accra, hence the office complex.
